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Photographic 

Sciences 
Corporation 


93  WEST  MAIN  STREET 

WEBSTER,  N.Y.  14580 

(716)  872-4S03 


CIHM/ICMH 

Microfiche 

Series. 


CIHM/ICMH 
Collection  de 
microfiches. 


Canadian  Institute  for  Historical  Microreproductions  /  Institut  canadien  de  microreproductions  historiques 


Technical  and  Bibliographic  Notes/Notes  techniques  et  bibliographiques 


The  c 
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v^ 


n 

D 
D 
D 

n 

□ 


D 


Coloured  covers/ 
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the  If 
sion, 
other 
first  I 
sion, 
or  ilk 


The  I 
shall 
TINU 
whici 

Maps 

dlffei 

entiri 

begir 

right 

requi 

meth 


n 


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lOX 

14X 

18X 

22X 

26X 

30X 

k.v:jaMi 

V 

12X 


16X 


20X 


24X 


28X 


32X 


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d'images  n^cessaire.  Les  diagrammes  suivants 
iilustrent  la  mdthode. 


1 

2 

3 

1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

NARHATIVES 


OF 


KNIGHT  AND  SLOVER 


^v. 


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M«i>i(3t«  mm(uu$. 


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I 


NAKRATIVES 

or  THE 

PERILS  ANr>  SUFFEBINGS 

OF 

DR.  KNIGHT  AND  JOHN  SLOVER, 

AMONG  THE  INDIANS, 

SVRIMa  TBB 

REVOLUTIONARY   WAR, 

WITH  SHORT  UEM0IS8  QT 

COL.  CRAWFORD  &  JOHN  SLOYER. 

AND  A  LETTBE  FROM  H.  BKACKINEIDGE,  ON  THB  niQHTS  OF 
THE   INDIANS,    ETC. 


CINCINNATI : 

[Reprinted /roin  the  NaihviUe  edition  »/  IMS,] 

1867. 


J 


/ 


l'/«rj;'r-3-.airt-  ^t-e'^'^ 


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■If 

til 


PUBLISHER'S  NOTICE. 


^  < 


The  first  edition  of  these  Narratives  was  printed 
in  Pittsburgh,  in  1782,  in  pamphlet  form  :  a  copy 
can  hardly  be  procured  now  at  any  price.  Another 
small  edition  was  printed  in  Nashville  in  1843,  which 
has  become  exceedingly  scarce.  It  is  hoped  this 
reprint  may  prove  acceptable  to  all  interested  in  tho 
early  history  of  our  country,  and  struggles  of  the 
Pioneers  with  the  Indiana.  ' 


*     ¥:■ 


m^' 


Five  hundred  copies  only,  (letter  press)  are  printed 
of  this  edition. 


U.  P.  JAMES, 


Cincinnati,  O.,  1867. 


f 


. 


G^  LSO 


^^p 

i  ^    j:^»,,^^- 

^^^        ^r  ^^^^^^^^      mii^L^^% 

TO  THE  PUBLIC. 


t 


The  two  following  Narratives  were  transmitted  for 
publication  in  September  last,  but  shortly  afterwards 
the  letters  from  Sir  Guy  Carlton,  to  his  Excellency, 
General  Washington,  informing  that  the  Savages 
had  receired  orders  to  desist  from  their  incursions, 
gave  reason  to  hope  that  there  would  be  an  end 
to  their  barbarities.  For  this  reason  it  was  not 
thought  necessary  to  hold  up  to  view  what  they 
had  heretofore  done.  But  as  they  still  continue 
their  murders  on  our  frontier,  these  Narratives  may 
be  serviceable  to  induce  our  government  to  take 
some  effectual  steps  to  chastise  and  suppress  them ; 
as  from  hence  they  will  see  that  the  nature  of  an 


* 


8  TO  TBS  PUBLIC. 

Indian  is  fierce  .nd  eruel,  and  tbat  an  extirpation  of 
hem  would  be  useful  to  the  world,  and  honorable 
to  those  who  can  effect  it. 

^uguzt  3,  1782. 


■  I 


i 


T- 


li 

m 


■«-■ 


LETTER. 


Mr.  Baily  : 

Enclosed  are  two  Narratives,  one  of  Dr.  Knight, 
who  acted  as  Surgeon  in  the  expedition  under 
Col.  Crawford,  the  other  of  John  Slover.  That  of 
Dr.  Knight  was  written  by  himself  at  my  request ; 
that  of  Slover  was  taken  by  myself  from  his  mouth 
as  he  related  it. 

This  man,  from  his  ohildhood,  lived  amongst 
the  Indians ;  though  perfectly  sensible  and  intel- 
ligent, yet  he  cannot  write.  The  character  of 
Dr.  Knight  is  well  known  to  be  that  of  a  good 
man,  of  strict  veracity,  of  a  calm  and  deliberate 
mind,  and  using  no  exaggeration  in  hiu  account  of 
any  matter. 


i 


, 


1 1 

'  I 


It 


i    : 


8 


LETTER. 


As  a  testimony  in  favor  of  the  veracity  of  Slover, 
I  thought  proper  to  procure  a  certiHcate  from  the' 
Clergyman  to  whose  church  he  belongs,  and  which 
I  give  below. 

H.  BKACKINRIDGE. 


"  I  do  hereby  certify  that  John  Slover  has  been 
for  many  years  a  regular  member  of  the  church  un- 
der  my  care,  and  is  worthy  of  the  highest  credit. 

WILLIAM  RENO." 

Pitulurg,  August  3,  1782. 


W' 


I 


h 


THE 


NARRATIVE  OF  DR.  KNIGHT. 


BOUT  the  latter  end  of  the 
month  of  March  or  the  begin- 
ning of  April,  of  the  present 
year,  (1781)  the  western  Indiana 
began  to  make  incursions  upon 
the  frontiers  of  Ohigan  and 
Washington,  Youghugany  and  Westmorleaa 
counties,  which  has  been  their  constant  practice 
ever  since  the  commencement  of  the  present  war 
between  the  United  States  and  Great  Britain. 
In  consequence  of  these  predatory  invasions, 
the  principal  officers  of  the  above  mentioned 
counties,  namely  :  Colonels  Williamson  and 
Marshall,  tried  every  method  in  their  power  to 
2 


»j     ST. 


10 


NARRATIVE  OF 


r 


}\ 


set  on  foot  an  expedition  against  the  Wyandot 
towns,  which  they  could  effect  no  other  way 
than  by  giving  all  possible  encouragement  to 
volunteers.  The  plan  proposed  was  as  follows : 
Every  man  furnishing  himself  with  a  horse,  a 
gun,  and  one  month's  provisions,  should  be 
exempt  from  two  tours  of  mihtia  duty.  Like- 
wise, that  every  one  who  had  been  plundered 
by  the  Indians,  should,  if  the  plunder  could  be 
found  at  their  towns,  have  it  again,  proving  it 
to  be  his  property,  and  all  horses  lost  on 
the  expedition  by  unavoidable  accident  were 
to  be  replaced  by  horses  taken  in  the  enemy's 
country. 

The  time  appointed  for  the  rendezvous,  or 
general  meeting  of  the  volunteers,  was  fixed 
to  be  on  the  20th  of  May,  and  the  place,  the 
old  Mingo  town,  on  the  west  side  of  the 
river  Ohio,  about  forty  miles  below  Fort  Pitt, 
by  land;  and  I  think  about  seventy-five  by 
water. 

Col.  Crawford  was  solicited  by  the  general 
voice  of  these  western  counties  and  districts 
to  command  the  expedition.  He  accordingly 
set  out  as  a  volunteer,  and  came  to  Fort  Pitt 
two  days  before  the  time  appointed  for  the 
assembUng  of  the  men.     As  there  was  no 


T? 


DR,  KNIQHT. 


11 


Surgeon  yet  appointed  to  go  ^ith  the  ex- 
pedition, Col.  Crawford  begged  the  favor  of 
Gen.  Irvin  to  permit  me  to  accompany  him, 
(my  consent  having  been  previously  asked,)  to 
which  the  General  agreed,  provided  Col.  Gibsou 
did  not  object. 

Having  obtained  permission  of  the  Col.,  I 
left  Fort  Pitt  on  Tuesday,  May  1st,  and  the 
next  day  about  one  in  the  afternoon,  arrived  at 
the  Mingo  bottom. 

The  volunteers  had  not  all  crossed  the  river 
until  Friday  morning,  the  24th,  they  then  dis- 
tributed themselves  into  eighteen  companies, 
choosing  their  captains  by  vote.  There  were 
chosen  also,  one  Col.  Commandant,  four  field 
and  one  brigadier  Major.  There  were  four 
hundred  and  sixty-five  that  voted. 

We  began  our  march  on  Saturday,  May 
25th,  making  almost  a  due  West  course,  and 
on  the  fourth  day  reach  the  old  Moravian  town, 
upon  the  river  Muskingum,  about  60  miies 
from  the  river  Ohio.  Some  of  the  men  having 
lost  their  horses  on  the  night  preceding,  re- 
turned home. 

Thursday  the  28th  in  the  evening,  Major 
Brenton  and  Captain  Bean,  went  some  distance 
liom  camp  to  reconnoitre  j  having  gone  about 


;? 


\ 


•J 


12 


NARRATIVE  OF 


iil' 


lie 


I'j 


one  quarter  of  a  mile  thoy  saw  two  Indians, 
upon  whom  they  fired,  and  then  retreated  to 
camp.  This  was  the  first  place  in  which  we  were 
discovered,  as  we  understood  afterwards. 

On  Thursday  the  4th  of  June,  which  was 
the  eleventh  day  of  our  march,  about  one 
o'clock  we  came  to  the  spot  where  the  town 
of  Sandusky  formerly  stood ;  the  inhabitants 
had  moved  18  miles  lower  down  the  creek 
nearer  the  lower  Sandusky ;  bat  as  neither  our 
guides  or  any  who  were  with  us  had  known  any 
thing  of  their  removal,  we  began  to  conjecture, 
there  were  no  Indian  towns  nearer  than  the 
lower  Sandusky,  which  was  at  least  forty  miles 
distant. 

However,  after  refreshing  our  horses  we  ad- 
vanced on  S(  arch  of  some  of  their  settlements, 
but  had  scarcely  got  the  distance  of  three  or 
four  miles  from  the  old  town  when  a  number  of 
our  men  expressed  their  desire  to  return,  some 
of  them  alleging  that  they  had  only  five  days 
provisions ;  upon  which  the  field  Officers  and 
Captains,  determined  in  council,  to  proceed 
that  afternoon  and  no  longer.  Previous  to  the 
calUng  of  this  council,  a  small  party  of  light 
horse  had  been  sent  forward  to  reconnoitre. 

I  shall  here  remark  by  the  way,  that  there 


I  i 


h 


■SStSSJ~ 


DR.  KNIGHT. 


18 


are  a  "^ent  many  extensive  y)l.'iins  in  that  coun- 
try. The  woods  in  general  giov  very  thin,  and 
free  from  brush  and  underwood ;  so  that  light 
horsemen  may  advance  a  considtrable  distance 
before  an  army  without  being  much  exposed 
to  the  enemy. 

Just  as  the  council  decided,  an  express  re- 
turned from  the  above  mentioned  party  of  light 
horse  with  intelligence  that  they  had  been 
aVout  three  miles  in  front,  and  had  seen  a 
la.ge  body  of  Indians  running  towards  them. 
In  a  short  time  we  saw  the  rest  of  the  light 
horse,  who  joined  us,  and  having  gone  one  mile 
further,  met  a  number  of  Indians  who  had 
partly  got  possession  of  a  piece  of  woods  be- 
fore us,  whilst  we  were  in  the  plains ;  but  our 
men  alighting  from  their  horses  and  rushing 
into  the  woods,  soon  obliged  them  to  abandon 
that  place. 

The  enemy  being  by  this  time  reinforced, 
flanked  to  the  right,  and  part  of  them  coming 
in  nearer,  quickly  made  the  action  more 
serious.  The  firing  continued  very  warm  on 
both  sides  from  four  o'clock  until  the  dusk  of 
the  evening,  each  party  maintaining  their 
ground.  Next  morning,  about  six  o'clock, 
their  guns  were  discharged,  at  the  distance 


1p: 


w 


14 


NARRATIVE  OF 


of  two  or  three. hiindrod  vards,  which  continned 
till  day,  doing  little  or  no  execution  on  either 
side. 

The  field  officers  then  assembled  and  agreed, 
as  the  enemy  were  every  moment  increasing, 
and  we  had  already  a  number  of  wounded,  to 
retreat  that  night.  The  whole  body  was  to 
form  into  three  lines,  keeping  the  wounded  in 
the  centre.  We  had  four  killed  and  twenty- 
three  wounded,  of  the  latter,  seven  very  dan- 
gerously, on  which  account  as  many  biers  were 
got  ready  to  carry  them ;  most  of  the  rest  were 
slightly  wounded  and  none  so  bad  but  they 
could  ride  on  horseback.  After  dark  the  offi- 
cers went  on  the  out-posts  and  brought  in  all 
the  men  as  expeditiously  as  they  could.  Just 
as  the  troops  were  about  to  form,  several  guns 
were  fired  by  the  enemy,  upon  which  some  of 
our  men  spoke  out  and  said,  our  intention*  was 
discovered  by  the  Indians  who  were  firing 
alarm  guns.  Upon  which  some  in  front  hurried 
off  and  the  rest  immediately  followed,  leavinj; 
the  seven  men  that  were  dangerously  wounded, 
some  of  whom  however  got  off  on  horseback, 
by  means  of  some  good  friends,  who  waited 
for,  and  assisted  them. 

We  had  not  got  a  quarter  of  a  mile  from 


I*-. 


^w 


DR.  KNIOHT. 


15 


the  field  of  action  when  I  hea  'd  Col.  Crawford 
calling  for  his  son,  John  Crawford,  his  son-in- 
law,  Major  Harrison,  Major  Rose  and  Wm. 
Crawford,  his  nephews,  upon  which  I  came  up 
and  told  him  I  believed  they  were  on  before  us. 
He  asked  was  that  the  doctor  ?  I  told  him  it 
was.  He  then  replied  they  were  not  in  front, 
and  begged  of  me  not  to  leave  him.  I  promised 
him  I  would  not 

We  then  waited  and  continued  calling  for 
these  men  till  the  troops  had  passed  us.  The 
Colonel  told  me  his  horse  had  almost  given  out, 
that  he  could  not  keep  up  with  the  troops, 
and  wished  some  of  his  best  friends  to  remain 
with  him.  He  then  exclaimed  against  the 
militia  foi  riding  off  in  such  an  irregular  man- 
ner, and  leaving  some  of  the  wounded  behind, 
contrary  to  his  orders.  Presently  there  came 
two  men  riding  after  us,  one  of  them  an  old 
man,  the  other  a  lad.  We  enquired  if  they 
had  £.een  any  of  the  above  persons  ?  They 
answered  they  had  not. 

^y  this  time  there  was  a  very  hot  firing  be- 
fore us,  and  as  we  judged,  near  where  our  main 
body  must  have  been.  Our  course  was  then 
.nearly  Southwest,  but  changing  it,  we  went 
north  about  two  miles,  the  two  men  remaining 


'  ^ 


ll 


^/ 


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f  i 


a: 


<\  i 


1  « 

14 


IG 


NARRATIVE  OF 


in  company  with  us.  Judging  ourselves  to  be 
now  out  of  the  enemy's  lines,  we  took  a  due 
East  course,  taking  care  to  keep  at  the  distance 
of  fifteen  or  twenty  yards  apart,  and  directing 
ourselves  by  the  North  star. 

The  old  man  often  lagged  behind,  and  when 
this  was  the  case,  never  failed  to  call  for  us  to 
halt  for  him.  When  we  were  near  tho  Sandusky 
creek  he  fell  one  hundred  yards  behind,  and 
bawled  out,  as  usual,  for  us  to  halt.  While  we 
were  preparing  to  reprimand  him  for  making 
a  noise,  I  heard  an  Indian  halloo,  as  I  thought, 
one  hundred  and  fifty  yards  from  the  man, 
and  partly  behind  him.  After  this  we  did  not 
hear  the  man  call  again,  neither  did  he  ever 
come  up  to  us  any  more.  It  was  now  past 
midnight,  and  about  daybreak  Col.  Crawford's 
and  the  young  man's  horses  gave  out,  and  they 
left  them.  We  pursued  our  journey  East- 
ward, and  about  two  o'clock  fell  in  with  Capt. 
Biggs,  who  had  carried  Lieut.  Ashley  from  the 
field  of  action,  who  had  been  dangerously 
wounded.  We  then  went  on  about  the  space 
of  an  hour,  when  a  heavy  rain  coming  on,  we 
concluded  it  was  best  to  encamp,  as  wo  were 
enc^umbered  with  the  wounded  officer.  W^e  then 
barked  four  or  five  trees,  made  an  encampment 


\ 


I* 


DR.  KNIGHT. 


17 


r 


I 


\ 


and  a  fire,  and  remained  there  all  that  night. 
Next  morning  we  again  prosecuted  our  jour- 
ney, and  having  gone  about  three  miles  found 
a  deer  which  had  been  recently  killed.  The 
meat  was  sliced  from  the  bones  and  bundled 
up  in  the  skin,  with  a  tomahawk  lying  by  it. 
We  carried  all  with  us,  and  in  advancing  about 
one  mDe  further,  espied  the  smoke  of  a  fire. 
We  then  gave  the  wounded  officer  into  the 
charge  of  the  young  man,  directing  him  to 
stay  behind  whilst  the  Colonel,  the  Captain 
and  myself  walked  up  as  cautiously  as  we 
could  toward  the  fire.  When  we  came  to  it, 
we  concluded,  from  several  circumstances,  some 
of  our  people  had  encamped  there  the  pre- 
ceding night.  We  then  went  about  roasting 
the  venison,  and  when  just  about  to  march, 
observed  one  of  our  men  coming  upon  our 
tracks.  He  seemed  at  first  very  shy,  but 
having  called  to  him,  he  came  up  and  told  us 
he  was  the  person  who  had  killed  the  deer, 
but  upon  hearing  us  come  up,  was  afraid  of 
Indians,  hid  it  in  a  thicket  and  nnade  off.  Upon 
this  we  gave  him  some  bread  and  roasted 
venison,  proceeded  all  together  on  our  journey, 
and  about  two  o'clock  came  upon  the  paths  by 
which   we  had  gone  out.     Capt.  Biggs  and 


\i 


!• 


18 


NARRATIVE  OF 


!'  I 


myself  did  not  think  it  safe  to  keep  the  road, 
but  the  Colonel  said  the  Indians  would  not 
follow  the  troops  farther  than  the  plains,  which 
we  were  then  considerably  past.  As  the 
wounded  officer  rode  Capt.  Biggs'  horse,  I  lent 
the  Captain  mine.  The  Colonel  and  myself 
went  about  one  hundred  yards  in  front,  the 
Captain  and  the  wounded  officer  in  the  centro*, 
and  the  two  young  men  behind.  After  we  had 
traveled  about  one  mile  and  a  half,  several 
Indians  started  up  within  fifteen  or  twenty 
steps  of  the  Colonel  and  me.  As  we  at  first 
discovered  only  three,  I  immediately  got  be- 
hind a  large  black  oak,  made  ready  my  piece 
and  raised  it  up  to  take  sight,  when  the 
Colonel  called  to  me  twice  not  to  fire,  upon 
that  one  of  the  Indians  ran  up  to  the  Colonel 
and  took  him  by  the  hand. 

They  were  Delaware  Indians  of  the  Winge- 
nim  tribe.  Captain  Biggs  fired  amongst  them 
but  did  no  execution.  They  then  told  us  to 
call  these  people  and  make  them  come  there, 
else  they  would  go  and  kill  them,  which  the 
Colonel  did,  but  they  forgot  us  and  escaped 
for  that  time.  The  Colonel  and  I  were  then 
taken  to  the  Indian  camp,  which  was  about 
half  a  mile  frum  the  place  where  we  were 


DR.  KmOHT. 


19 


\ 


captured.  On  Sunday  evening  five  Delawares 
who  had  posted  them -elves  at  some  distance 
further  on  the  road  brought  back  to  the  camp, 
where  we  lay,  Captain  Biggs'  and  Lieutenant 
Ashley's  scalps,  with  an  Indian  scalp  which 
Captain  Biggs  had  taken  in  the  field  of  action ; 
they  also  brought  in  Biggs'  horse  and  mine, 
they  told  us  the  other  two  men  got  away 
from  them. 

Monday  morning  the  tenth  of  June,  we 
were  paraded  to  march  to  Sandusky,  about 
thirty-three  miles  distant ;  they  had  eleven 
prisoners  of  us  and  four  scalps,  the  Indians 
being  seventeen  in  number. 

Col.  Crawford  was  very  desirous  to  see  a 
certs  in  Simon  Girty,  who  lived  with  the  Indians, 
and  was  on  this  account  permitted  to  go  to 
town  the  same  night,  with  two  warriors  to 
guard  him,  having  orders  at  the  same  time  to 
pass  by  the  place  where  the  Col.  had  turned 
out  his  horse,  that  they  might  if  possible, 
find  him.  The  rest  of  us  were  taken  as  far 
as  the  old  town  which  was  within  eight  miles 
of  the  new. 

Tuesday  morning,  the  eleventh.  Col.  Craw- 
ford was  brought  out  to  us  on  purpose  to  be 
marched  in  with  the  other  prisoners.    I  asked 


J  ^ 


i 
\ 


H 


(II 


.i 


■■'    !.t 


■1 


:   .-V 

i. 


20 


NARRATIVE  OF 


the  Col.  if  he  had  seen  Mr.  Girty  ?  He  told  me 
he  had,  and  that  Girty  had  promised  to  do 
every  thing  in  his  power  for  him,  but  that  the 
Indians  were  very  much  enraged  against  the 
prisoners;  particularly  Captain  Pipe  one  of  the 
chiefs ;  he  likewise  told  me  that  Girty  had  in- 
formed him  that  his  son-in-law  Col.  Harrison 
and  his  nephew  William  Crawford,  were  made 
prisoners  by  the  Shawanese,  but  had  been 
pardoned.  This  Captain  Pipe  had  come  from 
the  town  about  an  hour  before  Col.  Crawford, 
and  had  painted  all  the  prisoner's  faces  black. 
As  he  was  painting  me  he  told  me  I  should  go 
to  th^  jhawanese  towns  and  see  my  friends. 
When  the  Col.  arrived  he  painted  him  black 
also,  told  him  he  was  glad  to  see  him  and  that 
he  would  have  him  shaved  when  he  came  to 
see  his  friends  at  the  Wyandot  town.  When 
we  marched  the  Col.  and  I  were  kept  back 
between  Pipe  and  Wyngenim,  the  two  Delaware 
chiefs,  the  other  nine  prisoners  were  sent  for- 
ward with  another  party  of  Indians.  As  we 
went  along  we  saw  four  of  the  prisoners  lying 
by  the  path  tomahawked  and  scalped,  some 
of  them  were  at  the  distance  of  half  a  mile 
from  each  other.  When  we  arrived  within 
half  a  mile  of  the  place  where  the  Col.  was 


Ih 


DR.  KNIGHT. 


jcuted,  we  overtook  the  five 


21 

that 


1 


pnsoners 

remained  alive ;  the  Indians  had  caused  them 
to  sit  down  on  the  ground,  as  they  did  also  the 
Col.  and  me  at  some  distance  from  them.  I  was 
there  given  in  charge  to  an  Indian  fellow  to 
be  taken  to  the  Shawanese  towns. 

In  the  place  where  we  were  now  made  to  sit 
down  there  was  a  number  of  squaws  and  boys, 
who  fell  on  the  five  prisoners  and  tomahawked 
them.  There  was  a  certain  John  McKinly 
amongst  the  prisoners,  formerly  an  officer  in 
the  13th  Virginia  regiment,  whose  head  an 
old  squaw  cat  off,  and  the  Indians  kicked  it 
about  upon  the  ground.  The  young  Indian 
fellows  came  often  where  the  Col.  and  I  were, 
and  dashed  the  scalps  in  our  faces.  We  were 
then  conducted  along  toward  the  place  where 
the  Col.  was  afterwards  executed ;  when  we 
came  within  about  half  a  mile  of  it,  Simon  Girty 
met  us,  with  several  Indians  on  horseback ;  he 
spoke  to  the  Col.,  but  as  I  was  about  one 
hundred  and  fifty  yards  behind  could  not  hear 
what  passed  between  them. 

Almost  every  Indian  we  met  struck  us 
either  with  sticks  or  their  fists.  Girty  waited 
till  I  was  brought  up  and  asked,  was  that  the 
doctor  ?— I  told  him  yes,  and  wont  toward  him 


1 1 


22 


NARRATIVE  OF 


n 


reaching  out  my  hand,  but  he  bid  me  begone 
and  called  me  a  damned  rascal,  upon  which 
the  fellows  who  had  me  in  charge  pulled  me 
along.  Girty  rode  up  after  me  and  told  me  I 
was  to  go  to  the  Shawanese  towns. 

When  we  went  to  the  fire  the  Col.  was  strip- 
ped naked,  ordered  to  sit  down  by  the  fire  and 
then  they  beat  him  with  sticks  and  their  fists. 
Presently  after  I  was  treated  in  the  same  man- 
ner. They  then  tied  a  rope  to  the  foot  of  a 
post  about  fifteen  feet  high,  bound  the  Col's 
hands  behind  his  back  and  fastened  the  rope 
to  the  ligature  between  his  wrists.  The  rope 
was  long  enough  for  him  to  sit  down  or  walk 
round  the  post  once  or  twice  and  return  the 
same  way.  The  Col.  then  called  to  Girty  and 
asked  if  they  intended  to  burn  him  ? — Girty 
answered,  yes.  The  Col.  said  he  would  take 
it  all  patiently.  Upon  this  Captain  Pipe,  a 
Delaware  chief,  made  a  speech  to  the  Indians, 
viz.:  about  thirty  or  forty  men,  sixty  or  seventy 
squaws  and  boys. 

When  the  speech  was  finished  they  all  yelled 
a  hideous  and  hearty  assent  to  what  had  been 
said.  The  Indian  men  then  took  up  their  guns 
and  shot  powder  into  the  Colonel's  body,  Irom 
his  feet  as  far  up  as  his  ueck.    I  think  not 


t 


I  . 


'.     t 


DR.  KNIGHT. 


23 


•y 


\ 


less  thnn  seventy  loads  were  discharged  upon 
his  naked  body.  They  then  crowded  about 
him,  and  to  the  best  of  my  observation,  cut 
oil'  his  ears ;  when  the  throng  had  dispersed  a 
tittle  I  saw  the  blood  running  from  both  aides 
of  his  head  in  consequence  thereof. 

The  fire  was  about  six  or  seven  yards  from 
the  post  to  which  the  Colonel  was  tied ;  it 
was  made  of  small  hickory  poles,  burnt  quite 
through  in  the  middle,  each  end  of  the  poles 
remaining  about  six  feet  in  length.  Three  or 
four  Indians  by  turns  would  take  up,  indi- 
vidually, one  of  these  burning  pieces  of  wood 
and  apply  it  to  his  naked  body,  already  burnt 
black  with  the  powder.  These  tormentors 
presented  themselves  on  every  side  of  him  with 
the  burning  faggots  and  poles.  Some  of  the 
squaws  took  broad  boards,  upon  which  they 
would  carry  a  quantity  of  burning  coals  and 
hot  embers  and  throw  on  him,  so  that  in  a  short 
time  he  had  nothing  but  coals  of  fire  and  hot 
ashes  to  walk  upon. 

In  the  midst  of  these  extreme  tortures,  he 
called  to  Simon  Girty  and  begged  of  him  to 
shoot  him ;  but  Girty  making  no  answer  he 
called  to  him  again.  Girty  then,  by  way  of 
derision,  told  the  Colonel  he  had  no  gun,  at  the 


! 


I 


l«fe-xl 


^  I 


24 


NARRATIVE  OF 


\\ 


5' 


1 

i, 


same  time  turning  about  to  an  Indian  who 
was  behind  him,  laughed  heartily,  and  by  all 
his  gestures  seemed  delighted  at  the  horrid 
scene. 

Girty  then  came  up  to  me  and  bade  me  pre- 
pare for  death.  He  said,  however,  I  was  not 
to  die  at  that  place,  but  to  be  burnt  at  the 
Shawanese  towns.  He  swore  by  G — d  I  need 
not  expect  to  escape  death,  but  should  suffer 
it  in  all  its  extremities. 

He  then  observed,  that  some  prisoners  had 
given  him  to  understand,  that  if  our  people 
had  had  him  they  would  not  hurt  him ;  for  his 
part,  he  said,  he  did  not  believe  it,  but  desired 
to  know  my  opinion  of  the  matter,  but  beiiig 
at  that  time  in  great  anguish  and  distress  for 
the  torments  the  Colonel  was  suffering  before 
my  eyes,  as  well  as  the  expectation  of  under- 
going the  same  fate  in  two  days,  I  made  little 
or  no  answer.  He  expressed  a  great  deal 
of  ill  will  for  Col.  Gibson,  and  said  he  was 
one  of  his  greatest  enemies,  and  more  to  the 
same  purpose,  to  all  which  I  paid  very  little 
attention. 

Col.  Crawford  at  this  period  of  his  sufferings 
besought  the  Almighty  to  have  mercy  on  his 
soul,  spoke  very  low,  and  bore  his  torments 


f 


DR,  ENIOBT. 


25 


with  the  most  manly  fortitude.  He  continued 
in  all  the  extremities  of  pain  for  an  hour  and 
three-quarters  or  two  hours  longer,  as  near  as 
I  can  judge,  when  at  last,  being  almost  ex- 
hausted, he  lay  down  on  his  belly ;  they  then 
scalped  him  and  repeatedly  threw  the  scalp 
in  my  face,  telling  me  "  that  was  my  great 
captain."  An  old  squaw  (whose  appearance 
every  way  answered  the  ideas  people  entertain 
of  the  Devil,)  got  a  board,  took  a  parcel  of 
coals  and  ashes  and  laid  them  on  his  back  and 
head,  after  he  had  been  scalped,  he  then  raised 
himself  upon  his  feet  and  began  to  walk  round 
the  post ;  they  next  put  a  burning  stick  to  him 
as  usual,  but  he  seemed  more  insensible  of 
pain  than  before. 

The  Indian  fellow  who  had  me  in  charge, 
now  took  me  away  to  Capt  Pipe's  house,  about 
three-quarters  of  a  mile  from  the  place  of  the 
Colonel's  execution.  I  was  bound  all  night, 
and  thus  prevented  from  seeing  the  last  of  the 
horrid  spectacla  Next  morning,  being  June 
12th,  the  Indian  untied  me,  painted  me  black, 
and  we  set  off  for  the  Shawanese  town,  which 
he  told  me  was  somewhat  less  than  forty  miles 
from  that  place.  We  soon  came  to  the  spot 
where  the  Colonel  had  been  burnt,  as  it  was 
3 


> 


26 


NARRATIVE  OF 


)  !  ' 


il^ 


partly  in  our  way;  I  saw  his  bones  lying 
amongst  the  remains  of  the  fire,  almost  burnt 
to  ashes;  I  suppose  after  he  was  dead  they  had 
laid  his  body  on  the  fire. 

The  Indian  told  me  that  was  my  Big  Captain, 
and  gave  the  scalp  halloo.  He  was  on  horse- 
back and  drove  me  before  him. 

I  pretended  to  this  Indian  I  was  ignorant  of 
the  death  I  was  to  die  at  the  Shawanese  towns, 
assumed  as  cheerful  a  countenance  as  possible, 
and  asked  him  if  we  were  not  to  live  together 
as  brothers  in  one  house  when  we  should  get 
to  the  town?  He  seemed  well  pleased,  and 
said  yes.  He  then  asked  me  if  I  could  make 
a  wigwam?  —  I  told  him  I  could  —  he  then 
seemed  more  friendly.  We  went  that  day  as 
near  as  I  can  judge  about  25  miles,  the  course 
partly  Southwest.  —  The  Indian  told  me  we 
should  next  day  come  to  the  town,  the  sun  be- 
ing in  such  a  direction,  pointing  nearly  South. 
At  night,  when  we  wont  to  rest,  I  attempted 
very  often  to  untie  in)  sellj  but  the  Indian  was 
extremely  vigilant  ^.nd  scarcely  ever  shut  his 
eyes  that  night.  About  daybreak  he  got  up 
and  untied  me ;  he  next  began  to  mend  up  the 
fire,  and  as  the  gnats  were  troublesome  I  asked 
him  if  I  should  make  a  smoke  behind  him — he 


, 


if 


f 


DR.  KNIQUT. 


27 


said  yes.  I  then  took  the  end  of  a  dogwood 
fork  which  had  been  burnt  down  to  about  18 
inches  long ;  it  was  the  longest  stick  I  could 
find,  yet  too  small  for  the  purpose  I  had  in 
view ;  then  I  picked  up  another  smaller  stick 
and  taking  a  coal  of  fire  between  them  went 
behind  him;  then  turning  suddenly  about,  I 
struck  him  on  the  head  with  all  the  force  I 
was  master  of;  which  so  stunned  him  that  he 
fell  forward  with  both  his  hands  into  the  fire, 
but  seeing  him  recover  and  get  up,  I  seized  his 
gun  while  he  ran  off  howling  in  a  most  fearful 
manner.  I  followed  him  with  a  determination 
to  shoot  him  down,  but  pulling  back  the  cock 
of  the  gun  with  too  great  violence,  I  believe  I 
broke  the  main  spring.  I  pursued  him,  how- 
ever, about  thirty  yards,  still  endeavoring  to 
fire  the  gun,  but  could  not ;  then  going  back 
to  the  fire  I  took  his  blanket,  a  pair  of  new 
moccasins,  his  hoppes,  powder  horn,  bullet  bag, 
(together  with  the  gun)  and  marched  ofij 
directing  my  course  toward  the  five  o'clock 
mark ;  about  half  an  hour  before  sunset  I  came 
to  the  plains  which  I  think  are  about  sixteen 
miles  wide.  I  laid  me  down  in  a  thicket  till 
dark,  and  then  by  the  assistance  of  the  north 
star  made  my  way  through  them  and  got  into 


1 


i 


ImI 


■i 


a 


'Eli 


I 


I     I 


I  i 


28  NARRATIVE  OF 

the  woods  before  morning.  I  proceeded  on 
the  next  day,  and  about  noon  crossed  the  paths 
by  which  our  troops  had  gone  out ;  these  paths 
are  nearly  East  and  West,  but  I  went  due 
North  all  that  afternoon  with  a  view  to  avoid 
the  enemy. 

In  the  evening  I  began  to  be  very  faint,  and 
no  wonder ;  I  had  been  six  days  prisoner ;  the 
last  two  days  of  which  I  had  eat  nothing,  and 
but  very  little  the  first  three  or  four;  there 
were  wild  gooseberries  in  abundance  in  the 
woods,  but  being  unripe,  required  mastication, 
which  at  that  time  I  was  not  able  to  perform 
on  account  of  a  blow  received  from  an  Indian 
on  the  jaw  with  the  back  of  a  tomahawk. 
There  was  a  weed  that  grew  plentifully  in  that 
place,  the  juice  of  which  I  knew  to  be  grateful 
and  nourishing;  I  gathered  a  bundle  of  the 
same,  took  up  my  lodging  under  a  large 
spreading  beech  tree  and  having  sucked  plen-  f ' 

tit'uUy  of  the  juice,  went  to  sleep.  Next  day,  I 
made  a  due  Ea  it  course  which  I  generally  kept 
the  rest  of  my  journey.  I  often  imagined  my 
gun  was   only  woo^l  bound,  and  tried  every  | 

method  I  could  devise  to  unscrew  the  lock  but  ■ 

never  could  effect  it,  having  no  knife  nor  any 
thing  fitting  for  the  purpose.     I  had  now  the 


m 


■i 


DR.  KNTGHT. 


29 


satisfaction  to  find  my  jaw  began  to  mend,  and 
in  four  or  five  days  could  chew  any  vegetable 
proper  for  nourishment,  but  finding  my  gun 
only  a  useless  burden,  left  it  in  the  wilderness. 
I  had  no  apparatus  for  making  fire  to  sleep  by, 
so  that  I  could  get  but  little  rest  for  the  gnats* 
and  musketoes ;  there  are  likewise  a  great  many 
swamps  in  the  beech  ridge,  which  occasioned 
me  very  often  to  lie  wet ;  this  ridge,  through 
which  I  traveled,  is  about  20  miles  broad,  the 
ground  in  general  very  level  and  rich,  free 
from  shrubs  and  brush;  there  are,  however, 
very  few  springs,  yet  wells  might  easily  be  dug 
in  all  parts  of  the  ridge ;  the  timber  on  it  is 
very  lofty,  but  it  is  no  easy  matter  to  make  a 
straight  course  through  the  same,  the  moss 
growing  as  high  upon  the  South  side  of  the 
trees  as  on  the  North.  There  are  a  great 
many  white  oaks,  ash  and  hickory  trees  that 
grow  among  the  beech  timber;  there  are  like- 
wise some  places  on  the  ridge,  perhaps  for 
three  or  foui  continued  miles  where  there  is 
little  or  no  beech,  and  in  sr.oh  pots,  black, 
white  oak,  ash  and  hickory  abou  .d.  Sugar 
trees  grow  there  also  to  a  very  great  bulk — 
the  soil  is  remarkably  good,  the  ground  a  little 
ascending  and  descending  with   some   small 


li 


i 


LJK" 


30 


NARRATIVE  OF 


V 


fl' 


s 

1} 


rivulets  and  a  few  springs.  When  I  got  out 
of  the  beech  ridge  and  nearer  the  river  Mus- 
kingum, the  lands  were  more  broken  but  equally 
rich  with  those  before  mentioned,  and  abound- 
ing with  brooks  and  springs  of  water ;  there 
are  also  several  small  creeks  that  empty  into 
that  river,  the  bed  of  which  is  more  than  a 
mile  wide  in  many  places ;  the  woods  consist 
of  white  and  black  oak,  walnut,  hickory  and 
sugar  tree  in  the  greatest  abundance.  In 
all  parts  of  the  country  through  which  I 
came  the  game  was  very  plenty,  that  is  to 
say,  deer,  turkies  and  pheasants;  I  likewise 
saw  a  great  many  vestiges  of  bears  and  some 
elks. 

I  crossed  the  river  Muskingum  about 
three  or  four  miles  below  Fort  Lawrence,  and 
crossing  all  paths  aimed  for  the  Ohio  river. 
All  this  time  my  food  was  gooseberries,  young 
nettles,  the  juice  of  herbs,  a  few  service 
berries,  and  some  May  apples,  likewise  two 
young  blackbirds  and  a  terrapin,  which  I 
devoured  raw.  When  my  food  sat  heavy  on 
my  stomach,  I  used  to  eat  a  little  wild  giiiger 
which  put  all  to  rights. 

I  came  upon  the  Ohio  river  about  five  miles 
below  Fort  Mcintosh,  in  the  evening  of  the 


\ 


DR.  KNIQHT. 


31 


mi 


21st  day  after  I  had  made  my  escape,  and 
on  the  2 2d  about  seven  o'clock  in  the  morn- 
ing, being  the  fourth  day  of  July,  arrived 
sale,  though  very  much  fatigued,  at  the 
Fort 


\ 


H 


A  SHORT  MEMOIR 


OF 


! 


' 


If 


COL.  CRAWFORD. 


OLONEL  Crawford,  was  about 
50  years  of  age,  had  been  an 
old  warrior  against  the  sava- 
ges. He  distinguished  him- 
self early  as  a  volunteer   in 

the  last  war,  and   was  taken 

notice  oi  by  Colonel  [now  general]  Washing- 
ton, who  procured  for  him  the  commission  of 
ensign.  As  a  partisan  he  showed  himself 
very  active,  and  was  greatly  successful.  He 
took  several  Indian  towns,  and  did  great  ser- 
vice in  scouting,  patrolling  and  defending  the 
frontiers.  At  the  commencement  of  this  war 
he  raised  a  regiment  in  the  back  country  by 


5* 


MEMOIR   OF  COL.  CItA  WFORD. 


33 


his  own  exertions.  He  had  the  commission  of 
Colonel  in  the  continental  army,  and  acted  brave- 
ly on  several  occasions  in  the  years  1776,  1777, 
and  at  other  times.  He  held  his  commission 
at  the  time  he  took  command  of  the  militia, 
in  the  aforesaid  expeditioii  against  the  In- 
dians; most  probably  he  had  it  with  him 
when  he  was  taken.  He  was  a  man  of  good 
judgment,  singular  good  nature,  and  great 
humanity,  and  remarkable  for  his  hospitality, 
few  strangers  coming  to  the  western  country, 
and  not  spending  some  days  at  the  crossing  of 
the  Yohagany  river,  where  he  lived ;  no  man 
therefore  could  be  more  regretted.  n 


if 

i 


MEMOIR 


or 


JOHN    SLOVER. 


ii. 


^•a 


I  HE  circumstances  that  took  place, 
previous  to  his  being  taken  a 
prisoner  by  the  Indians  the  first 
time,  when  he  was  only  eight 
years  old,  as  related  by  his  older 
brother,  Abraham.  My  father's 
residence  was  on  New  river,  Yirginia ;  the 
Indians  came  to  my  father's  house,  he  be- 
ing absent;  we  were  a  short  distance  from 
the  house;  on  discovering  the  Indians  there, 
the  smaller  children  all  ran  to  the  bouse;  while 
I  turned  my  course  through  a  meadow  to  a 
thick  place  of  woods :  when  I  came  near  the 
woods  I  turned  my  eyes  and  saw  two  Indians 


i  >■ 


MEMOIR  OF  JOHN  SLOVER. 


35 


'7 


pursuing  me.  I  escaped,  and  they  returned  to 
the  house.  They  took  my  mother,  brother, 
and  sisters  prisoners,  phmdered  the  house,  and 
took  all  they  could  cany ;  then  they  took  up 
the  line  of  march.  But  they  had  not  gone  far 
before  my  father  came  home,  and  seeing  the 
devastation  about  the  house,  his  family  all 
gone,  being  well  assured  it  was  the  work  of  the 
savages,  it  was  too  much  for  human  nature  to 
bear.  He  hallooed  ;  the  Indians  hearing  him, 
they  all  stopped ;  two  warriors  went  back  with 
their  guns,  and  in  a  short  time  my  mother 
heard  the  report  of  a  gun  ;  in  a  few  minutes 
they  returned  with  the  horse  and  saddle  my 
father  was  riding ;  my  mother  knew  her  hus- 
band was  killed. 

They  then  went  on  their  journey  towards 
the  Indian  towns,  having  nothing  to  eat  but 
wild  meats ;  through  the  latiguo  of  the  jour- 
ney, the  two  youngest  children  died  in  the 
wilderness. 

Our  mother  was  exchanged  after  a  number 
of  years,  and  returned,  and  lived  with  her  chil- 
dren ;  she  shortly  afterwards  died. 

John  Slover  died  near  Red  Banks,  Kentucky, 
at  an  advanced  age,  leaving  seven  childrtii, 
some  of  whom  are  now  living. 


V 


THE  NARRATIVE 


OF 


JOHN    SLOVER. 


AVING  in  the  last  war  been  a 
prisoner  amongst  the  Indians 
many  years,  and  so  being  well 
acquainted  with  the  country  west 
of  the  Ohio,  I  was  employed  as  a 
guide  in  the  expedition  under  Col. 
William  Crawford  against  the  Indian  towns  on 
or  near  the  river  Sandusky.  It  will  be  unneces- 
sary for  me  to  relate  what  is  so  well  known,  the 
circumstances  and  unfortunate  events  of  that 
expedition ;  it  will  be  sufficient  to  observe,  that 
having  on  Tuesday  the  fourth  of  June,  fought 
the  enemy  near  Handusky,  we  lay  that  night 
in  our  cump,  and  the  next  day  fired  on  each 


NARRATIVE  OF  JOHN  SLOVER. 


37 


other  at  the  distance  of  three  hundred  yards, 
doinff  Uttle  or  no  execution.  In  the  evening  of 
that  day  it  was  proposed  by  Col.  Crawford,  as 
I  have  been  since  informed,  to  draw  off  with 
order;  but  at  the  moment  of  our  retreat  the 
Indians  (who  hid  probably  perceived  that  we 
were  nbout  to  retreat)  firing  alarm  guns,  our 
men  broke  and  rode  off  in  confusion,  treading 
down  tho^'e  who  were  on  foot,  and  leaving  the 
wounded  men  who  supplicated  to  be  taken 
with  them. 

I  was  with  some  others  on  the  rear  of  our 
troops  feeding  our  hordes  in  the  glade,  when 
our  m(^n  began  to  break.  The  main  body  of 
our  people  had  passed  by  me  a  considerable 
distance  before  I  was  ready  to  set  out.  I  over- 
took them  bef  »re  they  crossed  the  glade,  and 
was  advanced  almost  in  front.  The  company 
in  which  I  was  had  separated  from  me,  and 
had  endeavored  to  pass  a  morass,  for  coming 
up  I  found  their  horses  had  stuck  fa.st  in  the 
morass,  and  endeavoiing  to  pass,  mine  also  in 
a  short  time  stuck  fast.  I  ought  to  have  said, 
the  company  of  five  or  six  men  with  which  I 
had  been  immediately  connected,  and  who  were 
some  distance  to  the  right  of  the  main  body, 
had  separated  from  me,  &c.     I  tried  a  long 


i  ■  I   5 


H 


t  ■ 


38 


NARRATIVE  OF 


ri 


I  '■ 


I  ^: 


time  to  disengage  my  horse,  until  I  could  hear 
the  enemy  just  behind  me,  and  on  each  side, 
but  in  vain.  Here  then  I  was  obliged  to  leave 
him.  The  morass  was  so  unstable  that  I  was  to 
the  middle  in  it,  and  it  was  with  the  greatest 
difliculty  that  I  got  across  it,  but  which  having 
at  length  done,  I  came  up  with  the  six  men 
who  had  left  their  horses  in  the  same  manner 
I  had  done;  two  of  these,  my  companions, 
having  lost  their  guns. 

We  traveled  that  night,  making  our  course 
towards  Detroit,  with  a  view  to  shun  the 
enemy,  who  we  conceived  to  have  taken  the 
paths  by  which  the  main  body  of  our  people 
had  retreated.  Just  before  day  we  got  into  a 
second  deep  morass,  and  were  under  the  neces- 
sity of  delaying  until  it  was  light  to  see  our 
way  through  it.  The  whole  .of  this  day  we 
traveled  towards  the  Shawanese  towns,  with  a 
view  of  throwing  ourselves  still  farther  out  of 
the  search  of  the  enemy.  About  ten  o'clock 
this  day  we  sat  down  to  eat  a  little,  having 
tasted  nothing  from  Tuesday,  the  day  of  our 
engagement,  until  this  time  which  was  oa 
Thursday,  and  now  the  only  thing  we  had  to 
eat  was  a  scrap  of  pork  to  each.  We  had  sat 
down  by  a  warrior's  path  which  we  had  not 


If 


*y 


L 


JOUN  S LOVER. 


39 


I 


t 


snspected,  when  eight  or  nine  warriors  appeared. 
Running  olf  hastily  we  left  our  baggage  and 
provisions,  but  were  not  discovered  by  the 
party ;  for  skulking  some  time  in  the  grass  and 
bushes,  we  returned  to  the  place  and  recovered 
our  baggage.  The  warriors  had  hallooed  as 
they  passed,  and  were  answered  by  others  on 
our  flanks. 

In  our  journey  through  the  glade?5,  or  wide 
extended  dry  meadows,  about  twelve  o'clock 
this  day,  we  discovered  a  party  of  Indians  in 
front,  but  skulking  in  the  grass  and  bushes 
were  not  perceived  by  them.  In  these  glades 
we  were  in  great  danger,  as  we  could  be  seen 
at  a  great  distance.  In  the  afternoon  of  this 
day  there  fell  a  heavy  rain,  and  then  traveling 
on  we  saw  a  party  of  the  enemy  about  two  hun- 
dred yards  before  us,  but  hiding  ourselves  in 
the  bushes  we  had  again  the  good  fortune  not 
to  be  discovered.  This  night  we  got  out  of  the 
glades,  having  in  the  night  crossed  the  paths 
by  which  we  had  advanced  to  Sandusky. 

It  was  our  design  to  leave  all  these  paths  to 
the  right  and  to  come  in  by  the  T'^  -^arawas. 
We  would  have  made  a  much  greater  |> /ogress, 
had  it  not  been  for  two  of  our  companions 
who  were  lame,  the  one  having  his  foot  burnt, 


♦ 


40 


NARRATIVE   OF 


I! 

I 


the  other  with  a  swelling  in  his  knee  of  a 
rheumatic  nature. 

On  this  day,  which  was  the  second  after 
the  reti'eat,  otie  of  our  company,  the  person 
affected  with  the  rheumatic  swelling,  was  left 
behind  some  distance  in  a  swamp.  Waiting 
for  him  some  time  we  saw  him  coming  within 
one  hundred  yards,  as  I  sat  on  the  body  of  an 
old  tree  mending  my  moccasins,  but  taking 
my  eye  from  him.  I  saw  him  no  more.  He  had 
not  observed  our  tracks,  but  had  gone  a  dif- 
ferent way.  Wt^  whistled  on  our  chargers, 
and  afterwards  hallooed  for  him,  but  in  vain. 
Nevertheless  he  was  fortunate  in  missing  us, 
for  he  afterwards  came  safe  into  Wheeling, 
which  is  a  post  of  ours  on  the  Ohio,  about  70 
miles  below  Fort  Pitt.  We  traveled  on  until 
night,  and  were  on  the  waters  of  the  Muskingum 
from  the  middle  of  this  day. 

Having  caught  a  fawn  this  day,  we  made 
fire  in  the  evening  and  had  a  repast,  having  in 
the  meantime  eat  nothing  but  the  small  bit 
of  pork  I  mentioned  before.  We  set  off  at 
break  of  day.  About  nine  o'clock  the  third 
day  we  fell  in  with  a  party  of  the  enemy  about 
12  miles  from  the  Tuscarawas,  which  is  about 
135  miles  from  Fort  Pitt.     They  had  come 


u 


JOHN  SLOVER. 


41 


' 


1 


upon  our  tracks  or  had  been  on  our  flanks  and 
discoveied  us,  and  then  having  got  before,  had 
wavlaid  us,  and  fired  before  we  perceived 
them.  At  the  first  fire  one  of  my  companions 
fell  before  me  and  another  just  behind  me; 
these  two  had  guns;  there  were  six  men  in 
company,  and  four  guns,  two  of  these  rendered 
useless  by  reason  of  the  wet  when  coming 
through  the  swamp  the  first  night ;  we  had 
tried  to  discharge  them  but  could  not.  When 
the  Indians  fired  I  ran  to  a  tree,  but  an  Indian 
presenting  himself  fifteen  vards  before  me, 
directed  me  to  deliver  myself  up  and  I  should 
not  be  hurt.  My  gun  was  in  good  order,  but 
apprehending  the  enemy  behind  might  dis- 
charge their  pieces  at  me,  I  did  not  risk  firing, 
which  I  had  afterwards  reason  to  regret  when 
I  found  what  was  to  be  my  fate,  and  that  the 
Indian  who  was  before  me  and  presented  his 
gun  was  one  of  those  who  had  just  before  fired. 
Two  of  my  companions  were  taken  with  me 
in  the  same  manner,  the  Indians  assuring  us 
we  should  not  be  hurt.  But  one  in  company, 
James  Paul,  who  h  id  a  gun  in  order,  made 
his  escape  and  has  since  come  into  Wheehng. 
One  of  these  Indians  knew  me,  and  was  of  the 
party  by  whom  I  was  taken  in  the  last  war. 


';     i 


t     - 
(    -' 


iV:i 


tf* 


=^«BIPBBB«IP!«_  III  II 


m 


42 


NARRATIVE  OF 


■I 


Ho  C!imo  up  and  spoke  to  me  calling  me  b3^my 
Indian  name,  Mannnchothee,  and  upbraiding 
me  for  coming  to  v/ar  against  them.  I  will 
take  a  moment  here  to  relate  some  particulars 
of  my  first  captivity  and  my  life  since.  I  was 
taken  from  New  River  in  Virginia  by  the 
Miamese,  a  nation  called  by  us  Picts,  amongst 
whom  I  lived  six  years,  afterwards  being  sold 
to  a  Delaware  and  by  him  put  into  the  hands 
of  a  trader.  I  was  carried  amongst  the 
ShawanesCj  with  whom  I  continued  six  years ; 
so  that  my  whole  time  amongst  these  nations 
was  twelve  years,  that  is,  from  the  eighth  to 
the  twentieth  year  of  my  age.  At  the  treaty 
of  Fort  Pitt,  in  the  foil  preceding  what  is  called 
Dunmore's  War,  which  if  I  am  right,  was  in 
the  year  1773,  I  came  in  with  the  Shawanese 
nation  to  the  treaty,  and  meeting  with  some 
of  my  relations  at  that  place,  was  by  them 
solicited  to  relinquish  the  life  of  a  savage, 
which  I  did  with  some  reluctance,  this  manner 
of  life  havitig  become  natural  to  me,  inasmuch 
as  I  had  scarcely  known  any  other.  I  en- 
listed as  a  soldier  in  the  continental  army 
at  the  commencement  of  the  presort t  war, 
and  served  fifteen  months.  Having  been 
properly   discharged   I   have    since   married, 


iBtl 


JOHN  SLOVER. 


48 


hnvo  a  family  and  am  in  communion  with  tiie 
church. 

To  return,  the  party  by  whom  we  were 
made  prisoners  had  taken  some  horses,  and 
left  them  at  the  glades  we  had  passed  the  day 
before.  They  had  followed  on  our  tracks  from 
these  glades,  on  our  return  to  which  we  found 
the  horses  and  rode.  We  were  carried  to 
Wachatomakak,  a  town  of  the  Mingoes  and 
Shawanese.  I  think  it  was  on  the  third  day 
we  reached  the  town,  which  when  we  were 
approaching,  the  Indians  in  whose  custody  we 
were,  began  to  look  sour,  having  been  kind  to 
us  before  and  given  us  a  little  meat  and  flour  to 
eat,  which  they  had  found  or  taken  from  some 
of  our  men  on  their  retreat.  This  town  is 
small  and  we  were  told  was  about  two  miles 
distant  from  the  main  town  to  which  they 
intended  to  carry  us. 

The  inhabitants  from  this  town  came  out 
with  clubs  and  tomahawks,  struck,  beat  and 
abused  us  greatly.  One  of  my  two  companions 
they  seized,  and  having  stripped  him  naked, 
blacked  him  with  coal  and  water.  This  was 
the  sign  of  being  burnt ;  the  man  seemed  to 
surmise  it,  and  shed  tears.  He  asked  me  the 
meaning  of  his  being  blacked  j  but  I  was  ibr- 


\ 


44 


NARRATIVE   OF 


i' 


li 


bid  by  the  enemy  in  their  own  language,  to 
tell  him  what  was  intended.  In  Enj^lish,  which 
they  spoke  easily,  having  been  often  at  Fort 
Pitt,  thev  assured  him  he  was  not  to  be  hurt. 
I  know  of  no  reason  for  making  him  the  first 
object  of  their  cruelty  unless  it  was  *t  he 
was  the  oldest. 

A  warrior  had  been  sent  to  the  great  town 
to  acquaint  them  with  our  coming  and  prepare 
them  for  the  frolic ;  for  on  our  coming  to  it,  the 
inhabitants  came  out  with  guns,  clubs  and 
tomahawks.  We  were  told  that  we  had  to  run 
to  the  council  house,  about  three  hundred 
yards.  The  man  that  was  blacked  was  about 
twenty  yards  before  us  in  running  the  gauntlet. 
They  made  him  their  principal  object,  men. 
women  and  children  beating  him,  and  those 
who  had  guns  firing  loads  of  powder  on  him  as 
he  ran  naked,  putting  the  muzzles  of  the  guns 
to  his  body,  shouting,  hallooing  and  beating 
their  drums  in  the  meantime. 

The  unhappy  man  had  reached  the  door  of 
the  council  house,  beat  and  woinided  in  a  man- 
ner shocking  to  the  sight ;  for  having  arrived 
before  him  we  had  it  in  our  power  to  view  the 
spectacle — it  was  indeed  the  most  horrid  that 
can  be   conceived.     They  had  cut  him  with 


£1   < 


JOHN  SLOVER. 


45 


} 


their  tomahawks,  shot  his  body  black,  burnt 
it  into  holes  with  loads  of  powder  blown  into 
him;  a  large  wadding  had  made  a  wound  in 
his  shoulder  whence  the  blood  gushed. 

Agreeable  to  the  declaration  of  the  enemy, 
when  he  first  set  out  he  had  reason  to  think 
himself  secure  when  he  had  reached  the  door 
of  the  council  house.  This  seemed  to  be  his 
hope,  for  coming  up  with  great  struggling  and 
ende'ivors,  he  laid  hold  of  the  door  but  was 
pulled  back  and  drawn  away  by  them ;  finding 
they  intended  no  mercy,  but  putting  him  to 
death,  he  attempted  several  times  to  snatch  or 
lay  hold  of  some  of  their  tomahawks,  but 
being  weak  could  not  effect  it.  We  saw  him 
borne  off,  and  they  were  a  long  time  beating, 
wounding  and  pursuing  and  kiUing  him. 

That  same  evening  I  saw  the  dead  body  of 
this  man  close  by  the  council  house.  It  was 
mangled  cruelly,  and  the  blood  mingled  with 
the  powder  was  rendered  black.  The  same 
evening  I  saw  him  after  he  had  been  cut  to 
pieces,  and  his  limbs  and  head  about  two  hun- 
dred yards  on  the  outside  of  the  town  put  on 
poles.  That  evening  also  I  saw  the  bodies  of 
three  others:  in  the  same  black  and  mangled 
condition  j  these  I  was  told  had  been  put  to  death 


!   ',:, 


:'i|' 


i 


iH 


i 


tf 


46 


NARRATIVE  OF 


I 


the  same  clay,  and  just  before  we  had  reached 
the  town.  Their  bodies  as  they  lay  were  black, 
bloody  J  burnt  with  powder.  Two  of  these  were 
Harrison  *  and  youn^  Crawford-f  I  knew  the 
visage  of  Col.  Harrison,  and  I  saw  his  clothing 
and  that  of  young  Crawford  at  the  town. 
They  brought  horses  to  me  and  asked  if  I 
knew  them.  I  said  they  were  Harrison  and 
Crawford's ;  they  said  they  were. 

The  third  of  these  men  I  did  not  know,  but 
believe  to  have  been  Col.  M.  Cleland,  the  third 
in  command  on  the  expedition.  The  next  day 
the  bodies  of  these  men  were  dragged  to  the 
outside  of  the  town  and  their  carcases  being 
given  to  the  dogs,  their  limbs  and  heads  were 
stuck  upon  poles. 

*  This  wa8  Col.  Harrison,  son-in-law  to  Col.  Crawford,  one 
of  the  first  men  in  the  Western  country.  He  had  been 
greatly  active  on  many  occasions  in  devising  measures  for 
the  defence  of  the  frontiers,  and  his  character  as  a  citizen 
in  every  way,  then  a  young  man,  distinguished  and  respec- 
table. He  had  been  a  magistrate  under  the  jurisdiction  of 
Virginia,  and  I  believe  a  delegate  to  the  Assembly  of  that 
State.  I  know  no  man  with  whose  grave,  sedate  manners, 
prudent  conduct,  good  sense  and  public  spirit  on  all  occa- 
sions 1  was  more  pleased.  H.  B. 

t  This  was  a  son  of  Col.  Crawford.  I  do  not  remember 
to  have  seen  him,  nor  was  I  acquainted  with  his  character 
before  the  expedition,  but  have  since  been  informed  uni- 
■versally,  that  he  was  a  young  man  greatly  and  deservedly 
esteemed  aa  a  soldier  aud  as  a  citizen.  11.  B. 


JOHN  SLOVER. 


47 


My  surviving  companion  shortly  after  we 
had  reached  the  council  house  was  sent  to 
another  town,  and  I  presume,  he  was  burnt  or 
executed  in  the  same  manner. 

In  the  evening  the  men  assembled  in  the 
council  house;  this  is  a  large  building  about 
fifty  yards  in  length,  and  about  twenty-five 
yards  wide,  and  about  sixteen  feet  in  height, 
built  of  split  poles  covered  with  bark ;  their  first 
object  was  to  examine  me,  which  they  could  do 
in  their  own  language,  inasmuch  as  I  could 
speak  the  Miame,  Shawanese  and  Delaware 
languages,  which  I  had  learned  during  my  early 
captivity  in  the  last  war;  I  found  I  had  not 
forgotten  these  languages,  especially  the  two 
former,  as  well  as  my  native  tungue. 

They  began  with  interrogating  me,  concern- 
ing the  situation  of  our  country,  what  were  our 
provisions  ?  our  numbers  ?  the  state  of  the  war 
between  us  and  Britain  ?  I  informed  them  Corn- 
wallis  had  been  taken,  which  next  day,  when 
Mathew  Elliot  with  James  Girty*  came,  he 


•  These  men,  Elliot  and  Girty,  were  inlitibitunts  of  the 
Western  country,  and  since  the  commencement  of  the  war, 
for  some  time  protessed  an  attachment  to  America,  wont 
off  to  the  Indiana.  They  are  of  that  horrid  brood  called 
Refugees,  and  whom  the  devil  has  long  siuce  marked  for 
hia  owu  property. 


!     * 


48 


NARRATIVE  OF 


"  ij 


^1 


.p .,   i 


■f   \, 


.1.  I   ,, 


affirmed  to  be  a  lie,  and  the  Indians  seemed  to 
give  full  credit  to  his  declaration. 

Hitherto  I  had  been  treated  with  some  ap- 
pearance of  kindness,  but  now  the  enemy  began 
to  alter  their  behavior  towards  me.  Girty  had 
informed  them,  that  when  he  asked  me  how  I 
liked  to  live  there,  I  had  said  that  I  intended 
to  take  the  first  opportunity  to  take  a  scalp 
and  run  otK  It  was,  to  be  sure,  very  probable 
that  it'  I  had  such  intention,  I  would  commu- 
nicate it  to  him.  Another  man  came  to  me  and 
told  me  a  story  of  his  having  Hved  on  the  south 
branch  of  Potomac  in  Virginia,  and  having 
three  brothers  there,  he  pretended  he  wanted 
to  get  away,  but  I  suspected  his  design ;  never- 
theless he  reported  that  I  had  consented  to  go. 
In  the  mean  time  I  was  not  tied,  and  could 
have  escaped,  but  having  nothing  to  put  on 
my  feet,  I  waited  some  time  longer  to  provide 
for  this. 

I  was  invited  every  night  to  the  war  dance, 
T\hich  they  usually  continued  until  almost  day, 
I  could  not  comply  with  their  desire,  believing 
these  things  to  be  the  service  of  the  devil. 

The  council  lasted  fifteen  days ;  fifty  to  one 
hundred  wai'riors  being  usually  in  council,  and 
sometimes  more.     Every  warrior  is  admitted 


JOFTN  SLOVER, 


49 


to  these  counjcils  :  but  only  the  chiefs  or  head 
warriors  have  the  privilege  of  speaking.  The 
head  warriors  are  accounted  such  from  the 
number  of  scalps  and  prisoners  they  have 
taken. 

The  third  day  McKee  *  was  in  council,  and 
afterwards  was  generally  present.  He  spoke 
little,  and  did  not  ask  any  questions  or  speak 
to  me  at  all.  He  lives  about  two  miles  out  of 
town,  has  a  house  built  of  square  logs  with 
a  shingle  roof;  he  was  dressed  in  gold  laced 
clothes.  I  had  seen  him  at  the  former  town 
through  which  I  passed. 

I  think  it  was  on  the  last  day  of  the  council, 
save  one,  that  a  speech  came  from  Detroit, 
brought  by  a  warrior  who  had  been  counselling 
with  the  commanding  officer  at  that  place. 
The  speech  had  been  long  expected,  and  was  in 
answer  to  one  some  time  before  sent  from  the 
town  to  Detroit.  It  was  in  a  belt  of  Wampum, 
and  began  with  addressing  them,  "  My  chil- 
dren," and  inquiring  why  they  continue  to 
take  prisoners  ?   Provisions  are  scarce ;  when 

*  This  man  before  the  war  was  an  Indian  agent  for  the 
British.  He  was  put  on  parole,  broke  it,  went  to  the  Indians 
and  has  since  continued  violeatly  to  incite  them  to  make 
war  against  us. 

5 


I 


■I 


1^  11  \' 


•im   It 


60 


NARRATIVE  OF 


J; 


t ' 


il 


I! 


prisoners  are  brought  in  we  are  obliged  to 
maintain  them,  and  still  bome  of  them  are  run- 
ning awaj  and  carrying  tidings  of  our  aff  tirs. 
When  any  of  your  people  fall  into  the  hands 
of  the  rebels,  they  show  no  mercy ;  why  then 
should  you  take  prisoners?  Take  no  more 
prisoners,  my  children,  of  any  sort ;  man, 
woman  or  child." 

Two  days  after,  a  party  of  every  nation  that 
was  near  being  collected,  it  was  determined  on 
to  take  no  more  prisoners  of  any  sort.  They 
had  held  a  large  council,  and  the  determination 
was,  that  if  it  were  possible  they  could  find  a 
child  of  a  span  or  three  inches  long,  they  would 
show  no  mercy  to  it.  At  the  conclusion  of 
the  council  it  was  agreed  upon  by  all  the  tribes 
present,  viz.:  the  Tawaws,  Chippawaws,  the 
Wyandots,  the  Mingoes,  the  Dela wares,,  the 
Shawanese,  Munses,  and  a  part  of  the  Che- 
rokees,  that  should  any  of  the  nations  who 
were  not  present  take  any  prisoners,  these  would 
rise  against  them,  take  away  the  prisoners  and 
put  them  to  death. 

In  the  course  of  these  deliberations  I  under- 
Btood  what  was  said  perfectly.  They  laid  plans 
against  our  settlements  of  Kentucky,  the  Falls, 
and  towards  Wheeling.     These  it  will  be  un- 


!: 


JOHN  SLOVER. 


61 


necessary  for  me  to  mention  in  this  narrative, 
more  especially  as  the  Indians  findhig  me  to 
have  escaped,  and  knowing  that  I  wculd  not 
fail  to  communicate  these  designs,  will  be  led 
to  alter  their  resolutions. 

There  was  one  council  held  at  which  I  was 
not  present.  The  warriors  had  sent  for  me  as 
usual,  but  the  squaw  with  whom  I  lived  would 
not  suffer  me  to  go,  but  bid  me  under  a  large 
quantity  of  skins.  It  may  have  been  from  an 
unwillingness  that  I  should  hear  in  council  the 
determination  with  respect  to  me,  that  I  should 
be  burnt. 

About  this  time,  twelve  men  were  brought 
in  from  Kentucky,  three  of  whom  were  burnt 
on  this  day ;  the  remainder  were  distributed  to 
other  towns,  and  all,  as  the  Indians  informed 
me,  were  burnt.  This  was  after  the  speech 
came  from  Detroit. 

On  the  day  after,  I  saw  an  Indian  who  had 
just  come  into  town,  and  who  said  that  the 
prisoners  he  was  bringing  to  be  burnt,  and  who 
he  said  was  a  doci  or,  had  made  his  escape  from 
him.  I  knew  this  must  have  been  Dr.  Knight, 
who  went  as  surgeon  of  the  expedition.  The 
Indian  had  a  wound  four  inches  long  in  his 
head,  which  he  acknowledged  the  doctor  had 


52 


NARRATIVE  OF 


given  him ;  he  was  cut  to  the  skull.  His  story 
was  that  he  had  untied  the  doctor,  being  asked 
by  him  to  do  so,  the  doctor  promising  that 
he  would  not  go  away ;  that  while  he  was  em- 
ployed in  kindling  the  fire  the  doctor  snatched 
up  the  gun  had  come  behind  and  struck  him ; 
that  he  tnen  made  a  stroke  at  the  doctor  with 
his  knife,  which  he  laid  hold  of,  and  his  fingers 
were  cut  almost  of}*,  the  knife  being  drawn 
through  his  hand ;  that  he  gave  the  doctor  two 
stabs,  one  in  the  back,  the  other  in  the  belly ; 
said  the  doctor  was  a  great,  big,  tall,  strong 
man.  Being  now  adopted  in  an  Indian  family, 
and  having  some  confidence  for  my  safety,  I 
took  the  liberty  to  contradict  this,  and  said 
that  I  knew  the  doctor,  who  was  a  weak,  little 
man.  The  other  warriors  laughed  immode- 
rately, and  did  not  seem  to  credit  him.*  At 
this  time  I  was  told  that  Col.  Crawford  was 
burnt,  and  they  greatly  exulted  over  it. 

The  day  after  the  council  I  have  mentioned, 
about  forty  warriors,  accompanied  by  George 
Girty,  came  early  in  the  morning  round  the 

*  It  is  well  known  that  Mr.  Slover  mentioned  these  cir- 
cumstances at  his  first  coming  into  Wheeling,  and  before 
he  could  have  known  the  relation  of  the  doctor,  for  that  this 
is  an  evidence  of  the  truth  of  the  doctor's  account,  and  his 
own.  H.  B. 


!l 


JOHN  SLOVER. 


53 


f 


house  where  I  was.  The  squaws  gave  me  up, 
I  was  sitting  before  the  door  of  the  house ; 
they  put  a  rope  round  my  neck,  tied  my  arms 
behind  my  back,  stripped  me  naked,  and 
blacked  me  in  the  usual  manner.  George  Girty, 
as  soon  as  I  was  tied,  d — d  me,  and  said  that 
I  now  should  get  what  I  had  deserved  many 
years.  I  was  led  away  to  a  town  distant 
about  five  miles,  to  which. a  messenger  had 
been  despatched  to  desire  them  to  prepare  to 
receive  me. 

Arriving  at  this  town,  I  was  beaten  with 
clubs  and  the  pipe  onds  of  their  tomahawks, 
and  was  kept  lor  some  time  tied  to  a  tree  be- 
fore a  house  door.  In  the  meanwhile  the 
inhabitants  set  out  to  another  town  about 
two  miles  distant,  where  I  was  to  be  burnt, 
and  where  I  arrived  about  three  o'clock  in  the 
afternoon. 

Here  also  was  a  council  house,  part  of  it 
covered  and  part  of  it  without  a  roof.  In  the 
part  of  it  where  no  cover  was,  but  only  sides 
built  up,  there  stood  a  post  about  sixteen 
feet  in  height,  and  in  the  middle  of  the  house 
around  the  post,  there  were  three  piles  of  wood 
built  about  three  feet  high  and  four  feet  fiom 
the  post. 


.s 


Ms 
11 


((' 


54 


NARRATIVE  OF 


>   . 


I 


Being  brought  to  the  post  my  arms  were 
tied  behind  me,  and  the  thong  or  cord  with 
which  they  were  bound  was  fastened  to  the 
post ;  a  rope  also  was  put  about  my  neck,  and 
tied  to  the  post  about  four  feet  above  my  head. 
During  the  time  they  were  tying  me,  piles  of 
wood  were  kindled  and  began  to  flame. 

Death  by  burning,  which  appeared  to  be  now 
my  fate,  I  had  resolved  to  sustain  with  patience. 
The  divine  grace  of  God  had  made  it  less 
alarming  to  me ;  for  on  my  way  this  day  I  had 
been  greatly  exercised  in  regard  to  my  latter 
end.  1  knew  myself  to  have  been  a  regular 
member  of  the  church,  and  to  have  sought  re- 
pentance for  my  sins ;  but  though  I  had  often 
heard  of  the  iiith  of  assurance,  had  known 
nothing  of  it;  but  early  this  day,  instantaneously 
by  a  change  wrought  upon  me  sudden  and 
perceivable  as  lightning,  arn  assurance  of  my 
peace  made  with  God,  sprung  up  in  mind. 
The  following  words  were  the  subject  of  my 
meditation  — '*  In  peace  thou  shalt  '^ee  God, 
Fear  not  those  who  can  kill  t^  b  iy.  in  peace 
shalt  thou  depart."     I  wa.  ais  occasion  by 

a  confidence  in  mind  not  >  be  rosiste*.,  fully 
assured  of  my  salvation.  Tliis  ^  uing  the  case 
I  was  wilhng,  satisfied  and  glad  to  die. 


i 


JOHN  SLOVER. 


55 


ls  were 
d  with 
to  the 
ck,  and 
ly  head, 
piles  of 

)  be  now 
mtience. 
it  less 
ay  I  had 
tiy  latter 
,  regular 
)ught  ve- 
lad  often 
,d  known 
taneously 
Iden  and 
ce  of  my 

in   mind. 
}ct  of  my 

see  God, 
ill  peace 
ccasion  by 
iatev.,  fully 
\cf  the  case 
lie. 


I  was  tied  to  the  post,  as  I  have  already 
said,  and  the  flame  was  now  kindled.  The 
day  was  clear,  not  a  cloud  to  be  seen.  If 
there  were  clouds  low  in  the  horizon,  the 
sides  of  the  house  prevented  me  from  seeing 
them,  but  I  heard  no  thunder,  or  observed 
any  sign  of  approaching  rain ;  just  as  the  fire 
of  one  pile  began  to  blaze,  the  wind  rose, 
from  the  time  they  began  to  kindle  the  fire 
and  4:0  tie  me  to  the  post,  until  the  wind 
began  to  blow,  was  about  fitteen  minutes. 
The  wind  blew  a  hurricane,  and  the  rain 
followed  in  less  than  three  minutes.  The 
rain  fell  violent ;  and  the  fire,  though  it  began 
to  blaze  considerably,  was  instantly  extin- 
guished. The  rain  lasted  about  a  quarter  of 
an  hour. 

When  it  was  over  the  savages  stood  amazed, 
and  were  a  long  time  silent.  At  last  one  said, 
we  wdl  let  him  alone  till  morning,  and  take  a 
whole  day's  frolic  in  burning  him.  The  sun 
at  this  time  was  about  three  hours  high. 
It  was  agreed  upon,  and  the  rope  about  my 
neck  was  untied,  and  making  me  sit  down, 
they  began  to  dance  round  me.  They  con- 
tinued dancing  in  this  manner  until  eleven 
o'clock  at  night ;  in  the  mean  time,  beating, 


n 


iS  ^J 


nram 


i;    ' 


«t 


/ 


m 


NARRATIVE  OF 


kicking  and  wounding  jne  with  their  toma- 
hawks and  clubs.* 

At  last  one  of  the  warriors,  the  Half  Moon, 
asked  me  if  I  was  sleepy?  I  answered,  yes, 
The  head  warrior  then  chose  out  three  war- 
riors to  take  care  of  me.  I  was  taken  to  a 
block  house  :  my  arms  were  tied  until  the  cord 
was  hid  in  the  flesh,  they  were  tied  in  two 
places,  round  the  wrist  and  above  the  elbows. 
A  rope  was  fistened  about  my  neck  and  tied 
to  a  beam  of  the  house,  but  permitting  me  to 
lie  down  on  a  board.  The  three  warriors  were 
constantly  harassing  and  troubling  me,  saying, 
"  How  will  you  like  to  eat  fire  to  morrow — you 
will  kill  no  more  Indians  now."  I  was  in 
expectation  of  their  going  to  sleep,  when  at 
length,  about  an  hour  before  daybreak,  two 
laid  down,  the  third  smoked  a  pipe,  talked  to 
me  and  asked  the  same  painful  questions. 
About  half  an  hour  after,  he  also  laid  down  ; 
I  heard  him  begin  to  snore.  Instantly  I  went 
to  work,  and  as  my  arms  were  perfectly  dead 
with  the  cord,  I  laid  myself  down  upon  my 

**■  I  observed  marks  on  the  man  when  I  saw  him,  wliich 
was  eight  or  ten  days  after  he  came  in,  particularly  a  wound 
above  his  right  eyebrow,  which  he  had  received  with  tho 
pipe  end  of  a  tomahawk;  but  his  back  and  body  generally 
had  been  injured.  H.  13. 


^a 


1  *  ■ 


JOHN  SLOVER. 


57 


right  arm  which  was  behind  my  back,  and 
k(>eping  it  fast  with  iriy  fingers,  which  had 
still  some  life  and  strength,  I  slipped  the  cord 
from  my  left  arm  over  my  elbow  and  my 
wrist  One  of  the  warriors  now  got  up  and 
stirred  the  fire.  1  was  apprehensive  that  I 
should  be  examined,  and  thought  it  was  over 
with  me,  but  my  hopes  revived  when  now  he 
lay  down  again.  I  then  attempted  to  unloose 
the  rope  about  my  neck;  tried  to  gnaw  it, 
but  it  was  in  vain,  as  it  was  as  thick  as  my 
thumb  and  as  hard  as  iron,  being  made  of  a 
buffalo  hide.  I  wrought  with  it  a  long  time, 
gave  it  out,  and  could  see  no  relief.  At  this 
time  I  saw  daybreak  and  heard  the  cock 
crow.  I  made  a  second  attempt,  almost  with- 
out hope,  pulling  the  rope  by  putting  my 
fingers  between  my  neck  and  it,  and  to  my 
great  sur[)rise  it  came  easily  untied.  It  was  a 
noose  with  two  or  thi'ee  knots  tied  over  it 

I  slipped  over  the  waniors  as  they  lay,  and 
having  got  out  of  the  house,  looked  back  to 
see  if  there  was  any  disturbance.  I  then  ran 
through  the  town  into  a  corn  field ;  in  my 
way  I  saw  a  squaw  with  four  or  five  children 
l3'ing  asleep  under  a  tree.  Going  in  a  dillereut 
way  into  the  field,  1  untied  my  c'lm,  which  was 
0 


\  I 


,!,■        M\\ 


B  i/f ' 


*' 


-I 


t  -A    s 


68 


NARRATIVE  OF 


4 


greatly  swollen  and  turned  black.  Having 
observed  a  number  of  horses  in  the  glade  as 
I  ran  through  it,  I  went  back  to  catch  one, 
and  on  my  way  found  a  piece  of  an  old  rug 
or  quilt  hanging  on  a  fence,  which  I  took 
with  me.  Having  caught  the  horse,  the  rope 
with  which  I  had  V>^en  tied  served  for  a  halter, 
I  rode  ofl*.  The  horse  was  strong  and  swift, 
and  the  woods  being  open  and  the  country 
level,  about  ten  o'clock  that  day  I  crossed 
the  Scioto  river  at  a  place,  by  computation, 
fifty  full  miles  from  the  town.  I  had  rode 
about  twenty-five  miles  on  this  side  of  the 
Scioto  by  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  when 
the  horse  began  to  fail,  and  could  no  longer 
go  on  a  trot.  I  instantly  left  him,  and  on 
Ibot,  ran  about  twenty  miles  farther  that  day, 
making  in  the  whole  the  distance  of  near 
one  hundred  miles.  In  the  evening  I  heard 
hallooing  behind  me,  and  for  this  reason  did 
not  halt  until  about  ten  o'clock  at  night,  when 
I  sat  down,  was  extremely  sick  and  vomited  ; 
but  when  the  moon  rose,  whi(;h  might  have 
been  about  two  hours  after,  I  went  on  and 
traveled  until  day. 

During  the  night  I  had  a  path,  but  in  the 
morning  judged  it  prudent  to  forsake  the  path 


Pi 


» 


JOnX  SLOVER. 


m 


path 


f 


and  take  a  ridge  for  the  distance  of  fifteen 
miles,  in  a  line  at  right  angles  to  my  course, 
putting  back  as  I  went  along,  with  a  stick, 
the  weeds  which  I  had  bent,  lest  I  should  be 
tracked  by  the  enemy.  1  lay  the  next  night 
on  the  waters  of  Muskingum ;  the  nettles  had 
been  troublesome  to  me  after  my  crossing 
the  Scioto,  having  nothing  to  defend  myself 
but  the  piece  of  a  rug  which  I  had  Ibund 
and  which  while  I  rode  I  used  under  me 
by  way  of  a  saddle ;  the  briars  and  thorns 
were  now  painful  to,  and  prevented  me  from 
traveling  in  the  night  until  the  moon  appeared. 
In  the  meantime  I  was  prevented  from  sleep- 
ing by  the  mosquitoes,  for  even  in  the  day  I 
was  under  the  necessit}^  of  traveling  with  a 
handlull  of  bushes  to  brush  them  from  my 
body. 

The  second  night  I  reached  Cushakira, 
next  day  came  to  Newcomer's  town,  where 
I  got  about  seven  raspberries,  which  were  the 
first  thing  I  ate  from  the  morning  on  which 
the  Indians  had  taken  me  to  burn  me  until 
this  time,  which  was  now  about  three  o'clock 
the  fourth  day.  I  felt  hunger  very  little,  but 
was  extremely  wetik.  I  swam  Muskingum 
river  at  Oldcomer's  town,  the  river  being  two 


"W 


■H 


60 


NARRATIVE  OF 


i'  i 


hundred  yards  wide ;  having  reached  the  bank, 
I  sat  down,  looked  back  and  thought  I  had 
a  start  of  the  Indians  il'  any  should  pursue. 
That  evening  I  traveled  about  five  miles ; 
next  day  came  to  Stillwater,  a  small  river, 
in  a  branch  of  which  I  got  two  small  crawfish 
to  eat.  Next  night  I  lay  within  five  miles 
of  Wheeling,  but  had  not  slept  a  wink  during 
this  whole  time,  being  rendered  impossible  by 
the  mosquitoes,  which  it  was  my  constant 
employment  to  brush  away.  Next  day  came 
to  Wheeling,  and  saw  a  man  on  the  island  in 
the  Ohio  opposite  to  that  post,  and  calling  to 
him  and  asking  for  particular  persons  who 
had  been  on  the  expedition,  and  telling  him  I 
was  Slover,  at  length,  with  great  dillicalty,  he 
was  persuaded  to  come  over  and  bring  me 
across  in  his  canoe.* 


*  It  has  been  paid  that  the  putting  to  death  the  ^loravian 
Indians  has  been  the  ca\ise  of  the  cruelties  practised  oa 
the  prisoners  taken  at  Sandusky,  But  though  tiiis  has  been 
made  an  excuse  by  the  refugees  amongst  the  savages,  and 
by  the  British,  yet  it  must  be  well  known  that  it  has  been 
the  custom  of  the  savages  at  all  times.  I  have  it  from 
Col.  John  rampbell,  wiio  is  lately  from  Chamblee,  where  he 
has  been  in  confinement  a  long  time,  nnd  was  taken  on  the 
Ohio  some  years  ago,  that  two  men  who  were  taken  with 
him  were  put  to  death  at  the  Sliawanese  towns  in  the  same 
niannor  in  which  lliirtison  was  afterwards  execi'tod,  viz.: 
by  blowing  powder  into  their  bodies.     A  large  load  blown 


i 


JOHN  SLOVER. 


61 


At  the  same  time,  though  I  would  strike 
away  this  excuse  which  is  urged  for  the 
savages,  I  am  far  from  approving  the  Mora- 
vian slaughter.  Doubtless  the  existence  of 
that  body  of  people  in  our  neighborhood,  was 
of  disadvantage,  as  they  were  under  the  neces- 
sity of  recei\ing  and  refusing  the  Sandusky 
savages  as  they  came  to  war,  and  as  they 
leturned,  and  as  no  doubt  some  amongst  them 
communicated  intelligence  of  any  expedition 
on  foot  against  the  enemy.  I  am  also  dis- 
posed to  believe,  that  the  greater  part  of  the 
men  put  to  death  were  warriors ;  this  appears 
fi'om  the  testimony  of  one  against  another, 
from  the  confession  of  many,  from  their  sing- 
ing the  war  song  when  ordered  out  to  be 
tomahawked,  from  the  cut  and  painting  of 
*heir  hair,  and  from  other  circumstances.  The 
greater  part  of  the  Moravian  men  who  were 
really  peaceable  or  well  affecced  to  us,  having 


into  the  body  of  one  of  these  men,  reaching  his  kidneys, 
the  pain  throwing  him  into  rage  and  madness,  the  savages 
were  uncommonly  diverted  with  the  violence  of"  his  excla- 
mation and  gestures ;  boys  of  the  town,  particularly,  fol- 
lowing him,  and  considering  it  as  excellent  sport.  In  the 
evenirg  his  head  wa^^  cut  off  and  an  end  put  to  his  misery. 
Col.  Campbell  himself  was  led  out  to  make  sport  of  the 
same  kind,  but  was  saved  by  the  interposition,  I  think,  of 
Elliot. 


:,     If 


w 

ml 


?  ' 

•J 


62 


[LETTER  TO 


been    carried    ofT  the    fall   before,   and    still 
detained  at  Sandusky, 

But  the  putting  to  death  the  women  and 
children,  who  sang  hymns  at  their  execution, 
must  be  considered  as  unjustifiable,  inexcusable 
homicide;  and  the  Colonel  who  commanded 
the  party,  and  who  is  said  perseveringly,  con- 
trary to  the  remonstrances  of  officers  present, 
to  have  enjoined  the  pei^^etration  of  the  act, 
has  not  yet  been  called  to  an  account,  is  a 
disgrace  to  the  State  of  Pennsylvania. 

H.  BRACKINRIDGE. 


■ff 


Mr.  Baily  : 

With  the  narrative  enclosed,  I  subjoin 
some  observations  with  regard  to  the  animals, 
vulgarly  called  Indians.  It  is  not  my  inten- 
tion to  wi'ite  any  labored  essay ;  for  at  so 
great  a  distance  from  the  city,  and  so  long 
unaccustomed  to  write,  I  have  scarcely  reso- 
lution to  put  pen  to  paper.  Having  an  oppor- 
tunity to  know  something  of  the   character 


ii 


MR.  BAILY. 


63 


of  this  race  of  men,  from  the  deeds  they 
perpetrate  daily  round  me,  I  think  proper  to 
say  something  on  the  subject.  Indeed,  several 
years  ago,  and  before  I  left  your  city,  I 
had  thought  different  from  some  others  with 
respect  to  the  right  of  soil,  and  the  propriety 
of  forming  treaties  and  making  peace  with 
them. 

In  the  United  States  Magazine  in  the  year 
1777,  I  published  a  dissertation  denying  them 
to  have  a  right  in  the  soil.  I  perceive  a 
writer  in  your  very  elegant  and  useful  paper, 
has  taken  up  the  same  subject,  under  the 
signature  of  "  Caractacus,"  and  unanswerably 
shown,  that  their  claim  to  the  extensive  coun- 
tries of  America,  is  wild  and  inadmissible. 
I  will  take  the  hberty  in  this  place,  to  pursue 
this  subject  a  little. 

On  what  is  their  claim  founded  ?  —  Occu- 
pancy. A  wild  Indian  with  his  skin  painted 
red,  and  a  feather  through  his  nose,  has  set 
his  foot  on  the  broad  continent  of  North  and 
South  America;  a  second  wild  Indian  with 
his  ears  cut  in  ringlets,  or  his  nose  slit  like  a 
swine  or  a  malefactor,  also  sets  his  foot  on  the 
same  extensive  tract  of  soil.  Let  the  first 
Indian  make  a  talk  to  his  brother,  and  bid 


I 


,1 


j-t 


ft 

t 

i 


64 


LETTER  TO 


him  take  his  foot  off  the  continent,  for  he 
being  first  upon  it,  had  occupied  the  whole,  to 
kill  huflaloes,  and  tall  elks  with  long  horns. 
This  claim  in  the  reasoning  of  some  men 
would  be  just,  and  the  second  savage  ought 
to  depart  in  his  canoe,  and  seek  a  continent 
where  no  prior  occupant  claimed  the  soil.  Is 
this  claim  of  occupancy  of  a  yery  early  date  ? 
When  Noah*8  three  sons,  8hem,  Ham,  and 
Japhet,  went  out  to  the  three  quarters  of  the 
old  world,  Ham  to  Africa,  Shem  to  Asia, 
Japhet  to  Europe,  did  each  claim  a  quarter  of 
the  world  for  his  residence  ?  Suppose  Ham 
to  have  spent  his  time  fishing  or  gathering 
oysters  in  the  Red  Sea,  never  once  stretching 
his  leg  in  a  long  walk  to  see  his  vast  do- 
minions, from  the  mouth  of  the  Nile,  across  .e 
mountains  of  Ethiopia  and  the  river  Niger  to 
the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  where  the  Hottentots, 
a  cleanly  people,  now  stay ;  or  supposing  him, 
hke  a  Scots  pedlar,  to  have  traveled  over 
many  thousand  leagues  of  that  country  ;  would 
this  give  him  a  right  to  the  soil  ?  In  the 
opinion  of  some  men  it  would  establish  an 
exclusive  right.  Let  a  man  in  more  modern 
times  take  a  journey  or  voj^age  like  Patrick 
Kennedy   and  others    to  the  heads  of  the 


^t 


MR.  BAILT. 


65 


i 


MissiRRppi  or  Missonri  rivers,  would  he  i^ain 
a  right  ever  al'ter  to  exclude  all  persons  li'om 
diiiikinj2;  the  waters  of  these  streams  ?  Might 
not  a  second  Adam  make  a  talk  to  them 
and  say,  is  the  whole  of  this  water  necessary 
to  allay  your  thirst,  and  may  I  also  drink 
of  it? 

The  whole  of  this  earth  was  given  to  man, 
and  all  descendants  of  Adam  have  a  right 
to  share  it  equally.  There  is  no  right  of 
primogeniture  in  the  laws  of  nature  and  of 
nations.  There  is  reason  that  a  tall  man, 
such  as  the  chaplain  in  the  American  army 
we  call  the  High  Priest,  should  have  a  large 
spot  of  ground  to  stretch  himself  upon ;  or 
that  a  man  with  a  big  belly,  like  a  goodly 
alderman  of  London,  should  have  a  larger 
garden  to  produce  beans  and  cabbage  for  his 
appetite,  but  that  an  agile,  nimble  runner, 
like  an  Indian  called  the  Big  Cat,  at  Fort 
Pitt,  should  have  more  than  his  neighbors, 
because  he  has  traveled  a  great  space,  I  can 
see  no  reason. 

I  have  conversed  with  some  persons  and 
found  their  mistakes  on  this  subject,  to  arise 
from  a  view  of  claims  by  individuals  in  a  state 
of  society,  from  holding  a  greater  proportion 


ff 


r 


66 


LETTER  TO 


I 


J.) 


of  the  soil  than  of  hers;  but  this  is  according 
to  the  laws  to  which  they  have  consented ;  an 
individual  holding  one  acre,  cannot  encroach 
on  him  who  has  a  thousand,  because  he  is 
bound  by  the  law  which  secures  property  in 
this  unequal  manner.  This  is  the  municipal 
law  of  the  state  under  which  he  lives.  The 
member  of  a  distant  society  is  not  excluded 
by  the  laws  from  a  right  to  the  soil.  He 
claims  under  the  general  law  of  nature,  which 
gives  a  right,  equally  to  all,  to  so  much  of  the 
soil  as  is  necessary  for  subsistence.  Should  a 
German  from  the  closely  peopled  country 
of  the  Rhine,  come  into  Pennsylvania,  more 
thinly  peopled,  he  would  be  justifiable  in  de- 
manding a  settlement,  though  his  personal 
force  would  not  be  sufficient  to  effect  it.  It 
may  be  said  that  the  cultivation  or  melioration 
of  the  earth,  gives  a  property  in  it.  No — if 
an  individual  has  engrossed  more  than  is 
necessary  to  produce  grain  for  him  to  live 
upon,  his  useless  gardens,  fields  and  pleasure 
walks,  may  be  seized  upon  by  the  person 
who,  not  finding  convenient  ground  elsewhere, 
choose  to  till  them  for  his  support. 

It  is  a  usual  way  of  destroying  an  opinion 
by  pursuing  it  to  its  consequence.     In  the 


in 


|i 


MR.  BATLY. 


67 


present  case  we  may  say,  that  if  the  visiting; 
one  acre  of  ground  could  give  a  right  to  it, 
the  visiting  of  a  million  would  give  a  right  on 
the  same  j)rinciple ;  and  thus  a  few  surly  ill 
natured  men,  might  in  the  earlier  ages  have 
excluded  half  the  human  race  from  a  settle- 
ment, or  should  any  have  fixed  themselves  on 
a  territory,  visited  before  they  had  set  a  foot 
on  it,  they  must  be  considered  as  invaders  of 
the  rights  of  others. 

It  is  said  that  an  individual,  building  a 
house  or  fabricating  a  machine  has  an  ex- 
clusive rights  to  it,  and  why  not  those  who 
improve  the  earth  ?  I  would  say,  should  man 
build  houses  on  a  greater  part  of  the  soil,  than 
falls  to  his  share,  I  would,  in  a  state  of  nature, 
take  away  a  proportion  of  the  soil  and  the 
houses  from  him,  but  a  machine  or  any  work  of 
art,  does  not  lessen  the  means  of  subsistence  to 
the  human  race,  which  an  extensive  occupation 
of  the  soil  does. 

Claims  founded  on  the  first  discovery  of  soil 
are  futile.  When  gold,  jewels,  manufactures, 
or  any  work  of  men's  hands  is  lost,  the  finder 
is  entitled  to  some  reward,  that  is,  he  has 
some  claims  on  the  thing  found,  for  a  share 
of  it 


f 


■r> 


1^       M 


^./ 


68 


LETTER  TO 


When  by  industry  or  the  exorcise  of  j^cnius, 
something  unusual  is  invented  in  medicine  or 
in  other  matters,  the  author  doubtless  has  a 
claim  to  an  exclusive  profit  by  it,  but  who  will 
say  the  soil  is  lost,  or  that  any  one  can  found 
a  claim  by  discovering  it.  The  earth  with 
its  woods  and  rivers  still  exist,  and  the  only 
advantage  I  would  allow  to  any  individual 
for  having  cast  his  eye  first  on  any  particular 
part  of  it,  is  the  privilege  of  making  the 
first  choice  of  situation.  I  would  think  the 
man  a  fool  and  unjust,  who  would  exclude  me 
from  drinking  the  waters  of  the  Mississippi 
river,  because  he  had  first  seen  it.  He  would 
be  equally  so  who  would  exclude  me  from  set- 
tling in  the  country  west  of  the  Ohio,  because 
in  chasing  a  buffalo  he  had  been  first  over  it. 

The  idea  of  an  exclusive  right  to  the  soil 
in  the  natives  had  its  origin  in  the  policy 
of  the  first  discoverers,  the  kings  of  Europe. 
Should  they  deny  the  right  of  the  natives 
from  their  first  treading  on  the  continent, 
they  would  take  away  the  right  of  discovery  in 
themselves,  by  sailing  on  the  coast.  As  the 
vestige  of  the  moccasin  in  one  case  gave  a  right, 
so  the  cruise  in  the  other  was  the  foundation 
of  a  claim. 


!^*, 


MR.  DAILY. 


69 


Thoso  who  under  these  kings,  derived  grants 
were  led  to  countenance  the  idea,  for  otherwise 
why  i-houkl  kings  grant  or  they  hold  extensive 
tracts  of  country.  Men  become  enslaved  to 
an  opinion  that  has  been  long  entertained. 
Hence  it  is  that  many  wise  and  good  men 
will  talk  of  the  right  of  savages  to  immense 
tracts  of  soil. 

What  use  do  these  ring,  streaked,  spotted 
and  speckled  cattle  make  of  the  soil  ?  Do 
they  till  it  ?  Revelation  said  to  man,  "  Thou 
shalt  till  the  ground."  Tliis  alone  is  humun 
life.  It  is  favorable  to  population,  to  science, 
to  the  information  of  a  human  mind  in  the 
worship  of  God.  Warburton  has  well  said, 
that  before  you  can  make  an  Indian  a  chris- 
tian you  muht  teach  him  agriculture  and 
reduce  him  to  a  civilized  life.  To  live  by 
tiUing  is  more  humano,  by  hunting  is  7nore 
best  arum.  I  would  as  soon  admit  a  right  in 
the  bufialo  to  grant  lands,  as  in  Killbuck,  the 
Big  Cat,  the  Big  Dog,  or  any  of  the  ragged 
wretches  that  are  called  chiefs  and  sachems. 
What  would  you  think  of  going  to  a  big  lick 
or  place  v^here  the  beasts  collect  to  lick  saline 
nitrous  earth  and  water,  and  addressing  your- 
self to  a  great  bullalo  to  grant  you  land  ?    It 


o 


70 


LETTER  TO 


"li 


mm 


',  ^'  I 


i     i 


ii. 


is  true  he  could  not  make  the  niark  of  the 
stone  or  the  mountain  reindeer,  but  he  could 
set  his  cloven  foot  to  the  instrument  like  the 
great  Ottomon,  the  father  of  the  Turks,  when 
he  put  his  signature  to  an  instrument,  he 
put  his  large  hand  and  spreading  fingers  in 
the  ink  and  set  his  mark  to  the  parchment. 
To  see  how  far  the  folly  of  some  would  go, 
I  had  once  a  thought  of  supplicating  some 
of  the  great  elks  or  builaloes  that  run  through 
the  woods,  to  make  me  a  grant  of  a  hun- 
dred thousand  acres  of  land  and  prove  he 
had  brushed  the  weeds  with  his  tail,  and  run 
fifty  miles. 

I  wonder  if  Congress  or  the  dilTerent  States 
would  recognize  the  claim  ?  I  am  so  iar  from 
thinking -the  Indians  have  a  right  to  the  soil, 
that  not  having  made  a  better  use  of  it  lor 
many  hundred  years,  I  conceive  they  have 
forfeited  all  pretence  to  claim,  and  ought  to  be 
driven  from  it. 

With  regard  to  forming  treaties  or 
making  peace  with  this  race,  there  are  many 
ideas : 

They  have  the  shapes  of  men  and  may 
be  of  the  human  species,  but  certainly  in 
their  present  state  they  approach  nearer  the 


' 


MR.  DAILY. 


71 


character  of  Devils ;  take  an  Indian,  is  there 
any  laith  in  him  ?  Can  y()U  bind  him  by 
favors  ?  Can  ycu  trust  his  word  or  coni-ide  in 
his  promise  ?  When  he  makes  war  upon  you, 
when  he  takes  you  prisoner  and  has  you  in 
his  power  will  he  spare  you  ?  In  this  he 
departs  from,  tho  lav/  of  nature,  by  which, 
according  to  baron  Montesquieu  and  every 
other  man  who  thinks  on  the  subject,  it  is 
unjustifiable  to  take  away  the  fife  of  him  who 
submits ;  the  conqueror  in  doing  otherwise 
becomes  a  murderer,  who  ought  to  be  put  to 
death.  On  this  principle  are  not  the  whole 
Indian  nations  murderers  ? 

JMany  «if  them  may  have  not  had  an  oppor- 
tunity of  putting  prisoners  to  djath,  but  the 
sentiment  which  they  entertain  leads  them 
invariably  to  this  when  they  have  it  in  their 
power  or  judge  it  expedient ;  these  principles 
corstltute  them  murderers,  and  they  ought  to 
be  prevented  from  carrying  them  into  execu- 
tion,«as  we  would  prevent  a  common  homicide, 
who  should  be  mad  enough  to  conceive  himself 
justifiable  in  killing  men. 

The  tortures  which  they  exercise  on  the 
bodies  of  their  prisoners,  justify  'extermination. 
Gelo  of  ^yria  made  war  on  the  Oarlhaginiaus 


72 


LETTER  TO  MR.  BAILY. 


Ik  y. 


'^i 


because  they  oftentimes  burnt  human  victims, 
and  made  peace  with  them  on  conditions 
they  would  cease  from  this  unnatural  and 
cruel  practice.  If  we  could  have  any  faith 
in  the  promises  they  make  we  could  suffer 
them  to  live,  provided  they  would  only 
make  war  amongst  themselves,  and  abandon 
their  hiding  or  lurking  on  the  pathways  of 
our  citizens,  emigrating  unarmed  and  de- 
fenceless inhabitants ;  and  murdering  men, 
women  and  children  in  a  defenceless  situa- 
tion; and  on  their  ceasing  in  the  meantime 
to  raise  arms  no  more  among  the  American 
Citizens. 


%-\^ 


Ui.;: 


1  ■   -#• 


